Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder and CEO of Layer 2 blockchain Polygon (POL), is betting big on a tech mashup that could fundamentally change how the internet works by 2026. In a recent piece for Entrepreneur, Nailwal lays out a vision where artificial intelligence, blockchain verification, and payment rails converge into a single, self-governing infrastructure. How the stack would work - AI becomes the decision-maker — handling tasks from content curation to supply-chain choices and financial recommendations. - Blockchains act as the verification layer, publicly recording and validating AI outputs so decisions can be audited and trusted. - Payment systems execute and enforce those decisions in real time by moving value where the verified outcomes require it. Why this matters Nailwal argues that AI’s growing influence is limited by opacity: it’s often unclear how models reach conclusions and whether the underlying data is trustworthy. Blockchains, with their immutable ledgers and cryptographic guarantees, can add transparency and provenance to AI-driven decisions. He highlights zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) protocols as a key tool, enabling verification of rules and results without exposing sensitive data — preserving privacy while proving correctness. Signs the shift is already happening According to Nailwal, the move from trust-based to proof-based systems is underway: - Governments are experimenting with blockchain anchoring for public records to increase transparency and accountability. - Cities and municipalities are trialing blockchain payment systems for tasks like tax collection and cross-border transfers. - Digital currencies and stablecoins are being used to simplify cross-border payments by cutting intermediaries — an area where Polygon already offers low-cost, fast stablecoin transfers. A new user experience Looking ahead, Nailwal foresees digital wallets evolving into unified hubs for identity, data and financial assets — enabling everyday actions like payments and document signing to be seamless and verifiable. The result, he says, will be an internet that “can think, verify and pay on its own,” a change many users won’t notice beyond that “the digital world suddenly works as it should — seamlessly.” Market context At the time of writing, Polygon’s native token POL was trading at $0.1025 — down roughly 80% year-to-date and about 92% below its all-time high of $1.29. Image/Chart credits: featured image from DALL·E; chart from TradingView.com. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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